Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

The First Bad Man by Miranda July

23 reviews

grannycat's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Honestly, this book made me feel sick. Take the content warnings seriously - it depicts some very disturbing sexual relationships. One such relationship is between a

man in his late 60s and a 16 year old girl, described in explicit detail and never once portrayed as something harmful. In fact, the young girl seems to exist only as a romantic rival for the older female protagonist.

The protagonist

has detailed sexual fantasies about becoming various men and raping the much younger woman who lives with her. One of these men is the girl’s own father.

All of this is glossed over and just used as character development for the protagonist (who doesn’t develop meaningfully anyway). I really wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. It has its sweet moments, but most of it is weird and fucked up and not worth anyone’s time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Self harm, Vomit, and Antisemitism

rubycs's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I did not enjoy the narrator, who is unreliable and very mentally ill. I have read other books similar to this and really enjoyed them, such as everyone is this room will someday be dead, but this was too weird.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

bickley_moon's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

very perverse and funny. Absolutely readable, I read it within two days.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

anettainkeri's review against another edition

funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Pedophilia

Minor: Incest

1414's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

Moderate: Sexual content

dhritigupta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

a very weird and unlikeable book! but also i liked the last 100 pages more than i thought, and understood the characters more than i wanted to! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Vomit and Abandonment

Minor: Abortion

hbear21's review against another edition

challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

What a strange book. Having read some of July’s other work I knew I was in for something unusual but I could not have anticipated this. Though the characters were difficult to like most of the time and their behaviors were bizarre and even repulsive, I found the writing so compelling that I wanted to keep reading. This book will live in my head for some time to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Pregnancy

katsiano's review against another edition

dark emotional informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content

pearcoats's review against another edition

reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I remember seeing praise for it when it was first published and managed to get on my hands on a copy just before Christmas. Why did I trust reading something endorsed by Lena Dunham? July is a terrific writer, no doubt about it, but I found the narrative weird and quirky for the sake of being bizarre. Felt deeply uncomfortable by the age differences in relationships. Overrated, disappointed and relieved I can move into the next book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual content

waitingforgoodoggo's review against another edition

challenging dark funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Homophobia